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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26647147">kisses of fire</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/something_unknown/pseuds/something_unknown'>something_unknown</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>reigncorp as abba songs [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supergirl (TV 2015)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Romance, Songfic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:06:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,817</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26647147</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/something_unknown/pseuds/something_unknown</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam and Lena spend the weekend in an isolated place, and when they return to National City, some insecurities appear.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Samantha "Sam" Arias &amp; Lena Luthor, Samantha "Sam" Arias/Lena Luthor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>reigncorp as abba songs [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1938763</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>kisses of fire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A few months ago I challenged myself to write a series of Reigncorp fics based on ABBA songs. This is the first one and, incredibly, it was not on the list of songs/plots that I had separated for this series. It was supposed to be a short oneshot, but I ended up falling into an ansgt and it came out.</p>
<p>Hope you like it.</p>
<p>Also, listen to the song: https://open.spotify.com/track/0HPF6YFoMBA8mOU9dqHlNL</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>"Lay your head on my chest so you hear every beat of my heart." </em>
</p>
<p>"Goodnight, babe." Sam left her purse and keys on the entry table and went straight to the kitchen when she arrived, finding her girlfriend sitting on an island chair, working on something on the laptop.</p>
<p>"Hey, you're late today." Lena lifted her head from the screen and smiled at Sam. "You missed the dinner made by Ruby."</p>
<p>"What did she do?" Sam left a kiss on Lena's cheek and walked around the island to wash her hands in the sink that was on the opposite side to where Lena was sitting.</p>
<p>"Carbonara." Lena no longer had her attention back to the taller brunette, but back to the laptop, but that didn't stop her from hearing everything she said. "We left some for you in the oven."</p>
<p>“You are really the women in my life. You don't know how hungry I am. ” Sam opened the oven and found a plate very well made, very close to any plate prepared in a starry restaurant. "From the beauty of the presentation, I imagine she got it right this time."</p>
<p>"Almost…" Lena replied. “’It was low on salt and could be less thin.’” Those were Ruby Arias’s own words when we took the first bite.” Lena saw the girl's mother laugh and did the same. "Next time she'll get it right."</p>
<p>"And where is she?" Sam took a bottle of wine from the cellar, two glasses and served them both, sitting next to Lena.</p>
<p>"In the bedroom." Luthor closed the laptop and left it aside. "She said she has exams at school tomorrow and would review some notes before going to bed."</p>
<p>"I still think it's amazing that you managed to convince Ruby to go to sleep earlier when she has an exam on the next day." Sam took a sip from the glass. “It even improved her grades in chemistry. There is really nothing that Lena Luthor cannot do. ”</p>
<p>"I did do anything." Lena got up and went to the fridge to get a tray with some green grapes. "At least with her grades... She is a very smart girl, she just needed a different approach to fix things on her mind."</p>
<p>"With a different approach, you mean a genius to make her like chemistry."</p>
<p>Lena lowered her head a little shy and smiling took another sip from the cup. It wasn’t new to anyone that she was a genius, but whenever she heard Samantha extolling her genius, she got embarrassed. It had a different effect than when Sam talked about her physical appearance.</p>
<p>"How was work today?" The Luthor asked.</p>
<p>When Sam returned to the position of CFO at L-Corp, Lena started spending at least one day a week in the lab. It started with one day, after a few months that day became two and in six months she was already spending more days in the laboratory than in her own office. That day had been one of them.</p>
<p>“Crazy.” Sam replied with her mouth full, drawing a smile from her girlfriend. She managed to be a child at times. “I was barely able to think in the middle of so many meetings. The one that would happen at lunchtime ended up being canceled because the CEO of the partner company had an unforeseen event. I even had this free time to have lunch and I was going to call you to have lunch together, but when I arrived at the entrance of the lab and looked out the big window, I saw that it wasn’t just my day that was being crazy, so I decided to have lunch at the office and have a nap before the next meeting. ”</p>
<p>“One of the tests went wrong today.” Lena spoke, filling another glass. The second, and probably the last, that night. “One of the interns put the wrong code, but it turned out to be good because this typo showed more other errors and we had to postpone the tests until next week.”</p>
<p>“How’s the project going?”</p>
<p>Sam finished eating and went to the sink to wash the dishes, including the glasses.</p>
<p>“Still early to tell.” Lena followed and waited for her to finish before wrapping her arms around her waist and placing a kiss on her shoulder. “I haven’t seen you all day today… I missed you.”</p>
<p>Samantha turned to face Lena and placed a hand on her cheek. “Technically I saw you at lunch, but separated by a huge glass and several people.” She pressed her lips to Lena’s in a quick kiss. “I missed you too.”</p>
<p>They exchanged some more caresses and then Sam went to the couple’s room to bathe, leaving Lena in the kitchen. The Luthor took advantage of being alone and turned on the laptop again. When they started to date again and went to live together, the two promised that they would not take work to home and Lena had already gotten used to it, but, in order not to wait for her girlfriend in front of the television, she reviewed some more reports of the tests that occurred in the laboratory that day.</p>
<p>Sam took a little longer than expected in the bath. She took the opportunity to wash her hair and leave plenty of time in the morning to spend some more time in bed enjoying her girlfriend’s company. When she got out of the shower and brushed off her excess wet hair, she went to her daughter’s room. It was almost 10pm and, when entering the room, she found Ruby putting some books on the shelves and turning off the lap.</p>
<p>“Hey, sweetie.” She entered, not bothering to close the door behind her. “Are you going to sleep already?”</p>
<p>“Yes.” Ruby put on the shelf the last book she used to study and went to her mother to give her a hug. “I have exams tomorrow. I was reviewing my notes before going to sleep.”</p>
<p>“Who are you and what did you do to Ruby who was always so dramatic when I told her to go to bed early?” Sam spoke and the two laughed together. “Look, the advantages of living with Lena Luthor.”</p>
<p>“That and having someone to play video games with me.” The girl commented and went to the bathroom in the room to brush her teeth.</p>
<p>Samantha sat on her daughter’s bed and stood looking at some pictures that were on the shelves above the desk. The girl had pictures with Alex and Maggie, Kara and Nia, some with her mother, from when she was still a child, a picture with Lena and two in which the three were together. One of those photos was Sam’s favorite. They took it out the first weekend in the new house, when they decided to have lunch in the garden. That day, Ruby spent a good deal of time complaining that they should adopt a pet since they were living in a much bigger house. When the girl gave her complaints a break, Lena had supported her cell phone on a high table in the garden and called the two of them to take the photo. Ruby wrapped her arms around Lena’s waist and the two ended up being hugged by Sam, forming one of the most beautiful images Sam had ever seen.</p>
<p>“Did Alex talk to you?” The girl sat beside her mother on the bed, pulling her out of her daydreams.</p>
<p>“Yes…”</p>
<p>The agent had called Sam earlier to ask for permission to take Ruby to camp with her and Maggie. When Alex and Maggie spoke again after a time without talking to each other, they decided to give their relationship a new chance and it made they realize two things: Maggie was too in love with Alex to give a definitive no to the agent desire to have children and Alex loved Maggie too much to let the subject be a drag on their happiness.</p>
<p>“So… can I go?”</p>
<p>“Only if you have nothing from school for Monday.”</p>
<p>“I already made sure of it…” Ruby got up from the bed and went to the desk to get the planner that she organized the school stuff. She opened it9 on a specific page and showed it to the mother. “I only have this report here to finish.” She pointed to the paper.</p>
<p>“What’s the schedule?”</p>
<p>“We are going on Saturday very early. I think Alex will ask if I can sleep over at her house on Friday so I don’t have to wake you up. ” Ruby explained. She had given Alex this idea when the agent asked her to go camping. She had realized that Sam and Lena’s last few weeks had been very tight and they had little time to recharge their batteries over the weekend. Not sleeping at home would give them more time to rest.</p>
<p>“Okay …” Sam got up from the bed and placed a kiss on the top of her daughter’s head. “Tomorrow I leave work early, let me know if you need me to buy something. Good night, sweetie.”</p>
<p>“Good night, mom…” Ruby blew a kiss to her mom. “Give Lena a kiss for me.” She winked and got a laugh out of Sam before she closed the bedroom door.</p>
<p>Sam put her hand on her chest when she stopped laughing, remembering some moments of her daughter’s childhood. She had grown up so fast. Sam couldn’t be more proud of her daughter and of herself… of how she had raised her daughter so well in the midst of a lot of effort and many sleepless nights. Ruby was fifteen now and, unlike Sam imagined, the teenage years weren’t the most difficult to deal with. Her daughter had her own ideas and desires, she didn’t let herself be carried away by her school friends, she dedicated herself a lot and one of her favorite things was spending time with her family… But of course, this favorite hobby always came after playing video games with Lena.</p>
<p>Samantha considered that she had a perfect life… She didn’t think of anything that could be missing.</p>
<p>With that thought, she arrived in the living room and found Lena sitting with her legs on the couch. She had an open book on her lap and was looking at the iPad, probably answering some e-mail. And most importantly… She was wearing glasses, with no makeup on, her hair wavy from being washed recently and dried naturally and wearing one of Sam’s favorite sweatshirts. Her girlfriend was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen in her life.</p>
<p>Girlfriend…</p>
<p>Maybe something was really missing.</p>
<p>“Sam?” Lena’s calm voice brought the brunette out of her daydreams.</p>
<p>“Hey, babe.” Sam smiled at her.</p>
<p>“Did something happen?” Lena had placed her cellphone on the coffee table and had a concerned look in her eyes. “I called you a few times but you seemed lost in your own little world.”</p>
<p>“No… I was just thinking.”</p>
<p>“Come here.” Lena called her and settled on the couch so Sam could lie between her legs. So she did, snuggled up against her girlfriend’s chest and received a kiss on the hair right after. “Can I know about what you were thinking… Or who?”</p>
<p>Sam, who had her eyes closed since she laid down, looked at Lena and found a raised eyebrow and a small smile that was barely noticeable. “I was thinking about how beautiful you are…” She adjusted herself to put her lips on Lena’s neck, placing a kiss there before going up to her ear and whispering: “And how much I love you.”</p>
<p>Throughout this little interaction, Lena kept her hands on Sam’s face until the older brunette tucked her head in the curve of Lena’s neck, that’s when she exchanged the affection on her face for the affection on the locks of her beloved hair. This was the best part of the day for her, the time when they could rest in each other’s arms after a busy day at the office.</p>
<p>They stayed in that same position for some time, in silence, just listening to the sound of the television that Sam had turned on, without even paying attention, and each one experiencing their own sense of comfort. For Sam it was Lena’s fingers passing over her scalp; and for Lena it was the girlfriend’s warm breath against her neck.</p>
<p>“Alex called me looking for you today.” Lena broke the silence in a soft voice. It was enough to wake Sam who was almost asleep because of the affection.</p>
<p>“I talked with her.” Sam just replied, omitting the content of the conversation and already closing her eyes to continue enjoying the affection. Affection that was interrupted by Lena, a sign that she wanted more details. They were like that, they didn’t need many words to communicate perfectly. “What do you think of a program only ours this weekend?” Sam asked and raised her head to face Lena.</p>
<p>“How so?” Lena looked at her confused. It was rare, not to say non-existent, the weekends that Ruby was not with them.</p>
<p>“Alex and Maggie are taking Ruby to camp…”</p>
<p>“Oh!” It was Lena’s first reaction. “What do you have in mind?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know?” In fact, she hadn’t thought about it. She just wanted to spend time alone with Lena, no matter how or where. “Maybe we could go on a trip, I don’t know, get out of the madness of the city for two days.”</p>
<p>The Luthor didn’t answer… She ran her fingers through her girlfriend’s hair again and Sam received the gesture as a sign that she could go back to the previous position and so she did, leaning her head close to Lena’s neck again.</p>
<p>“I think I know a place.” Lena spoke but Sam didn’t answered, leaving the space for her to continue. “I have a house close to mountains about three hours from National City…”</p>
<p>Samantha got up calmly and sat on the couch to hear what her girlfriend had to say. She had never spoken of this place. Maybe it was too important for her…</p>
<p>“Lionel and my mother stayed in that place sometimes when they were around… She took me there a few times without him. He bought the house for her as a gift. It is a small cabin in a secluded place near a lake. It stayed for me when my mother died. ” Lena lowered her head and took a deep breath. She felt Sam’s hand land on top of hers. Samantha knew that this subject would always be difficult for her and she was always ready to show support when her loved one needed her. “When I turned eighteen, Lionel took me there, but the lake reminded me of my mother’s death, so I never had the courage to go back there alone…”</p>
<p>“Now you are not alone.” Sam spoke softly and gently shook the hand she held.</p>
<p>“That’s what I thought …” Lena lifted her head and smiled a little sadly. “Maybe I need to create new memories and remember the good times with her.”</p>
<p>“Yes…” Samantha pulled Lena so that this time she could curl up in her arms. “And if it’s too strong for you, I’ll be right next to you.”</p>
<p>“That’s what I’m counting on.” Lena’s voice was muffled by the position she was in, with her head buried in Sam’s neck, but she could still hear perfectly. “I love you, Sam.” She whispered.</p>
<p>“I love you too.” Samantha placed a kiss on Lena’s hair and they stayed that way for some time before going to the bedroom and finally having a calm night of rest.</p>
<p>That night they didn’t take long to fall asleep. The tiredness was greater than any desire to stay awake to exchange affection. Lena’s sleep was peaceful and light, considering that she would need many hours of sleep to recover from the day of stress she had. She sometimes dreamed of her birth mother. In the best of dreams she introduced Sam to her mother and they got along instantly. She woke up after that dream… The only time she woke up during the night. She would give anything to make that dream come true.</p>
<p>Unlike Lena, the night was long for Samantha. Not that she hadn’t been able to sleep, but she realized how fragile her girlfriend had gone to sleep because of the subject that is still difficult for her to deal with, even after so many years. Sam woke up with Lena’s slightly more sudden movement in bed, to sleep again soon afterwards when she realized she was just dreaming.</p>
<p>
  <em>“There’s nothing at all that can keep us apart. ” </em>
</p>
<p>The next day was more peaceful for them. Sam had prepared to leave work early to buy some things Ruby would need for the camp, but her daughter said she already had everything she needed and what she didn’t have Alex made sure to get it ready, considering it was she who made the invitation. The L-Corp CFO then waited for Lena at the office for them to go out together and pick up Ruby from soccer practice.</p>
<p>Since they wouldn’t have a family time that weekend, Ruby asked them to go to dinner at the girl’s favorite pizzeria. Coincidentally, the place was also one of the couple’s favorite restaurants, not because of the food or the building itself. The pizzeria was close to the pier and had a beautiful view. In the sand nearby, in a place with a few rocks, that’s where Lena and Sam had one last conversation before Sam went to Metropolis, right after they managed to defeat Reign. In that place they outlined what their future would be. The current moment was being better than what they drew on the day, because on that day they did not imagine that they would be living together a year later but that they would be trying to deal with a distance relationship.</p>
<p>Sam’s return to National City was not planned. She didn’t leave saying that she would be gone for a certain number of days or months. She just hoped to recover psychologically from the damage Reign had done to her life. But she didn’t expect the nostalgia to be greater than anything else, and after six months of thinking that she could have died at the hands of a Kryptonian without feeling completely fulfilled in her personal life, Sam decided to go back to National City and do what she should have done if she wasn’t so fragile before she left.</p>
<p>She gave a definite chance to what she and Lena felt for each other.</p>
<p>Sam and Ruby were waiting for the pizza on the table while Lena had gone to the bathroom.</p>
<p>“What are you going to do without me starting tomorrow?” The girl asked.</p>
<p>“We plan to go to the supermarket when we leave work tomorrow…” Sam replied, finishing viewing an e-mail that had just arrived. Fortunately, in order not to disturb the night, it was nothing important, just an advertisement. She was waiting for a contract to be forwarded by her secretary so that she could review it later that night and be prepared for the first meeting that would take place the next day. “We are going to travel on Saturday.” Sam smiled and put the phone back in the bag.</p>
<p>“You are planning something, aren’t you?” Ruby spoke and already mended another question before her mother could answer. “Are you going to propose to Lena?”</p>
<p>“What?” Sam asked confused. Was she giving any indication that she would do something like that even if it wasn’t going through her head?</p>
<p>“I saw the jewelry box in your sweatshirt drawer.” Ruby spoke. “You chose the worst place to keep this surprise. Lena uses the clothes in that drawer more than you do.” And laughed.</p>
<p>Sam had indeed kept a blue box with two identical rings filled with stones, but she had no intention of proposing to Lena. Something like that was too cliché and, even though they were a passionate couple who enjoyed all the possible clichés, this time she wanted to do it differently.</p>
<p>When Sam returned to National City with the certainty that she and Lena would be together, and this time, with nothing to stop them, she knew that the wedding would be just another next step among so many. She and Lena had even talked about it. Lena said that one day they would wake up and want to get married right then. It was because of this conversation that Sam decided to buy the rings, to be prepared for when that day came. She just didn’t show Lena. She didn’t want to look so emotional or desperate. After all, she had bought it the day after the conversation.</p>
<p>“I’m not going to propose to Lena.” Sam commented, looking around to make sure her girlfriend wasn’t coming back to the table. “It is not something that we are planning.”</p>
<p>Ruby rolled her eyes. “That’s because a marriage proposal is not to be planned by both.”</p>
<p>“What is not to be planned by both?” Lena asked taking them both by surprise and sat down next to Sam.</p>
<p>“Er…”</p>
<p>“Maggie and Alex stuff.” Ruby replied with a laugh because of her mother’s nervousness.</p>
<p>“Babe?” Lena turned to Sam and asked raising an eyebrow.</p>
<p>Sam hadn’t been able to look Lena in the eye since she sat at the table and it made it difficult for Ruby to hold back a laugh. Lena continued to look with a raised eyebrow and an almost imperceptible smile on the corner of her lips, which indicated that she wouldn’t be upset if Sam didn’t say anything. Lena was just kidding. Making her girlfriend nervous was fun.</p>
<p>“Excuse me.” The waiter spoke as he approached the table with the family’s order. He placed the board with the pizza in the center, served each one with a slice and left wishing they had a good appetite. Sam was relieved by the interruption.</p>
<p>“I’m only going to leave you alone because I’m starving.” Lena said putting a piece of the slice in her mouth.</p>
<p>The three ate in the middle of conversations about Ruby’s school and the exam she did that morning. When finished, they stayed a little longer in the pizzeria waiting for dessert and enjoying the view of the pier, which was not lit by artificial light but was still clear because of the beautiful night with a full moon.</p>
<p>When they returned home, they only had time to shower before falling into their respective beds. Ruby even put some more objects in the backpack she was going to take to camp. Sam reviewed the contract that arrived the moment she stepped out of the bathroom and then lay down on bed next to Lena that was focused on something on her cell phone.</p>
<p>“What are you doing, babe?” The taller brunette laid her head on her girlfriend’s lap.</p>
<p>“A list of what we need to buy at the supermarket tomorrow to take on Saturday.” Lena finished typing and used her left hand to fiddle with Sam’s hair as her right slid across the screen.</p>
<p>“We’re going to cook together, aren’t we?” Sam asked in a yawn.</p>
<p>“Yes.” The CEO blocked the device and placed it on the nightstand. “I thought about making pizza. I think it would be fun. ”</p>
<p>“Fun?” Sam raised her head to look at her. “Do you intend to throw wheat flour in my face?”</p>
<p>“I must confess that such an idea did not cross my mind, but now that you spoke…”</p>
<p>Sam grimaced and snickered at Lena.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Touch my lips, close your eyes and see with your fingertips.” </em>
</p>
<p>Friday was quieter for the couple. The family had breakfast together. Ruby even woke up early to give her time to eat calmly since after school she would go directly to Alex’s apartment. At L-Corp, Sam only had one meeting in the morning. Meeting that ended with another contract signed and a great partnership for the company.</p>
<p>Friday was one of the days that Lena stayed in the lab, but because of the tests that took place all week, that day, she and the other engineers took the opportunity to review the calculations before the battery of tests that would take place next week.</p>
<p>Even before the end of the working day, Lena had already dismissed most of the interns and engineers, suggesting that they use the weekend to rest, and stayed a few more minutes finalizing some reports.</p>
<p>It was almost 6pm when she finished what she was doing and decided to go upstairs to wait for her girlfriend in her office. Since they were going grocery shopping after work, they went to the company in Sam’s car. Upon reaching the floor, she found only Sam’s secretary turning off the lamps in the room.</p>
<p>“Miss Luthor.” The girl was startled when she saw the boss leaving the elevator. Lena frequented the floor a lot, but she wasn’t expecting anyone to show up while she turned off the lights.</p>
<p>“I already told you that you can call me Lena, Julie.” When Lena realized that there was no one else on the floor, she didn’t even bother to get out of the elevator and held the door for the girl to enter when she was finished. “Sam?”</p>
<p>“Miss Arias is in your office with Jess.” She stepped into the elevator and waited for Lena to close the door, then hit the top floor button. “She already released me, so I was closing everything.”</p>
<p>“You know that security does this whenever they check the floors when the hours are over, don’t you?”</p>
<p>“Yes, but I like to do it.</p>
<p>The elevator opened the doors on the roof and there was no one on the floor. At least not outside. Lena’s office had the big door open and voices could be heard coming from inside the room.</p>
<p>“Have a great weekend, Julie.” Lena spoke out of the elevator.</p>
<p>“Sure, ma…” The girl saw that the CEO had an arched brow looking in her direction. “You too.”</p>
<p>Lena waited for the elevator doors to close before turning away and heading toward her own office. Upon arriving at the door, she found Sam sitting at her desk signing a pile of documents and Jess with her back to the door holding some more papers. Both were so focused on their respective tasks that they did not notice the Luthor’s presence until she broke the silence.</p>
<p>“Have you taken of my office and my secretary yet?” Lena spoke in an amused tone. “Do I need to worry about being taken of my CEO position?”</p>
<p>“Hi, babe.” Sam took her attention off the documents and looked at her girlfriend smiling. “Have you been here for too long?”</p>
<p>The two did not star in many displays of affection in the workplace. Not because they wanted to hide their relationship, but to preserve it and to avoid unnecessary comments that could serve as an advantage for some dissatisfied board members. It had happened to Lena once because she was a woman and a CEO. She didn’t want it to happen to Sam, mainly because the CFO was in a relationship with the CEO.</p>
<p>But in front of Jess and Julie they did not feel compelled to avoid physical contact and affectionate nicknames. They trusted those they chose to be their right arms.</p>
<p>“No, I just went up.” Lena walked over to where Sam was sitting and stood behind her with her hands on the back of the chair. “I stopped downstairs but found only Julie turning off all the lights.”</p>
<p>“I told her she didn’t have to do this.” Jess commented while looking for something specific among the papers she held. “Lena… I was going to leave this on your desk for you to sign on Monday, but since you’re here.” The secretary spoke, holding out one of the papers to her.</p>
<p>“Can’t it be Sam’s signature?” Lena asked as she took the paper and placed it on the table to read and sign.</p>
<p>“It could but…” Sam started but let the girl speak.</p>
<p>“It was written in your name. For Miss Arias to sign, it would need to be redone and I would have to take the other signatures again. You subscribing will only make it easier. ” Jess explained. “In fact, any of the signatures would be valid but as it is in your name…”</p>
<p>“Okay, then.” Lena took one of the pens that Sam wasn’t using and signed, ending with her.</p>
<p>“Anything more, Jess?” Sam asked throwing a pen on the table and stretching out her hands.</p>
<p>“Not for now.”</p>
<p>Sam snorted and leaned her head back against the chair, receiving a kiss from Lena, who was back behind her, on the forehead.</p>
<p>“Can we go?” Lena asked.</p>
<p>“Can we, Jess?” Sam asked her girlfriend’s secretary.</p>
<p>“You’re free to enjoy the weekend together.”</p>
<p>“Have you been gossiping yet?” Lena patted Sam on the shoulder and received a grimace back.</p>
<p>“Since when does telling our plans to Jess mean gossip? You always do that. ”</p>
<p>“You said it right, I do.” Lena responded by pulling Sam by the hand to get up and hearing a giggle from Jess who had gone to put the documents in the closet.</p>
<p>Lena turned her back on Sam when she couldn’t get her to get up and was soon surprised with her girlfriend’s arms around her waist and a kiss on the shoulder.</p>
<p>“I usually don’t like to see couples showing affection because they just remind me that I’m single.” Jess spoke looking at them with admiration. “But you are an exception. I’m the number one shipper. ”</p>
<p>“Ruby is the number one shipper.” Lena replied and turned on her back to leave a kiss on Sam’s cheek.</p>
<p>“And if it depends on Julie, you won’t be single for long.” Sam spoke, took the bag with one hand and with the other held Lena’s, pulling her out of the office.</p>
<p>“What did she mean by that?” The secretary addressed the question to her boss.</p>
<p>Lena just smiled at the secretary and winked. “Good weekend, Jess.”</p>
<p>The couple left hand in hand, leaving a confused Jess standing in the middle of the office.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Things that you do, and you know I’m crazy ‘bout you.” </em>
</p>
<p>Before heading back, they stopped by the supermarket as they had agreed to buy some groceries that they would need to take on the trip. As far as Lena remembered, the house was close to a small village, but they had no guarantee that they would find where to buy the food they wanted, so they preferred to shop at the usual supermarket.</p>
<p>The establishment was quiet for a Friday night, which made them take less than they expected. The longest wait was for Lena to choose the bottle of wine she would take. Even though she was an expert on the subject, she still had doubts about red wines for certain occasions. She decided to take the one she bought when they moved into the new house.</p>
<p>When they home, Lena went straight to the bathroom to bathe, while Sam was in charge of ordering dinner and sorting out the clothes they would take. She chose to take three sweatshirts, as she was sure that Lena would borrow at least one. When she opened the drawer and took out the pieces, she found the box that Ruby had spoken at dinner two days ago. Luckily, these past few days, Sam managed to keep Lena from fiddling with the drawer, always leaving a separate sweatshirt on the bed for Lena to wear when showering. She took the box and put it in the bottom of the suitcase, in a hidden pocket. She ordered dinner and placed the bags from the supermarket on the kitchen island for Lena to sort out what they would take when she got out of the bath.</p>
<p>“Babe.” Lena called out of the shower. “Are these clothes on the bed the ones we are going to take?”</p>
<p>“Yes.” Sam appeared at the bedroom door with the shirt she was wearing already unbuttoned. “Look if there is something missing, I’ll pack the bag when I get out of the shower.” She crossed the room and went to the bathroom.</p>
<p>“Are you going to take all three or can I get one of these?” Lena spoke, referring to the sweatshirts.</p>
<p>“The NCU you like is in the drawer.”</p>
<p>“Right.”</p>
<p>Lena went to the closet to get the sweatshirt and Sam almost ran out of the bathroom but remembered that she had already removed the box.</p>
<p>Shortly after Sam finished packing and sat on the island watching her girlfriend store bottles of wine in the cellar, dinner arrived. As they had already had pizza with Ruby that week and would do it again the next day, Sam thought it best to order sushi for them to eat while sitting on the couch while watching an old cartoon marathon, from the time the two were children. This was usually the Friday night show, but with Ruby and a huge bucket of popcorn.</p>
<p>They laid on the couch enjoying the nostalgia in the schedule and each other’s company until the marathon was over. On another normal day, the hours would be extended perhaps with a movie, a conversation or the television off and just the sound of kisses echoing in the room after Ruby went to sleep until they remembered that they would not want to traumatize the teenager if she decided to leave the room and take the fun into the room. But, as this was not just any Friday and the couple would not have a common weekend, Lena and Sam decided to sleep early and begin their trip with the first rays of sunlight the next day. Perhaps not literally, because on cold days the sun tends to rise later and they would leave the house before that.</p>
<p>
  <em>"When you sleep by my side I feel safe and I know I belong." </em>
</p>
<p>The night was quiet for Lena, who fell asleep as soon as she rested her head on her girlfriend's shoulder and encircled her waist with one arm. She still felt it when Sam kissed the top of her head after wishing an almost inaudible good night, babe. However, for Samantha, the night had been just a few naps and several thoughts about what could happen in those two days keeping her awake.</p>
<p>When the alarm clock on the nightstand closer to where the CFO was lying rang, she already had her hand ready to turn off that annoying noise and let Lena sleep some more. She spent most of the night awake looking at the ceiling illuminated by the garden reflector light, which entered the room through a small crack on the curtain, and feeling the breath of her loved one close to her ear. Even without getting enough sleep, Sam didn't feel tired. The anxiety to enjoy a few days away from all the stressful work camouflaged any fatigue that her body could feel.</p>
<p>Before waking Lena so she could get ready, Samantha took a shower, prepared a strong coffee, the way Lena liked it, and placed the suitcase with clothes and boxes with groceries next to the entrance door so that nothing could delay them.</p>
<p>Lena was prepared to complain about the time that Sam was waking her up on a Saturday morning, but soon gave up when she felt her girlfriend take out a few strands of hair that fell over her shoulder and leave a long kiss on the neck, followed by a warm whisper in the ear wishing her a good morning. When she was woken up like that, Lena wanted not to get out of bed for the next twelve hours at least, but she remembered that she could do it later and away from the annoying noise of the big city.</p>
<p>Sam drove the whole way with the help of the GPS and remembering some information that Lena had spoken before. Lena could even drive, but it was one of the things she hated doing the most in the morning. Whenever she could, she hitchhiked with her girlfriend so she wouldn't even have to take the car out of the garage.</p>
<p>The first thing the Luthor did when she got in the car was to get her cell phone to create a playlist with songs with melodies lively enough not to let her sleep and she could keep Sam company throughout the trip. The effect of the songs lasted exactly an hour, after which Lena fell asleep. Sam didn't mind not having her girlfriend keeping her company and singing all the songs in the playlist with her, she fully understood how much Lena needed those hours of sleep she was entitled to on the weekends.</p>
<p>There were only a few kilometers to go when Lena woke up apologizing a thousand apologies for falling asleep, receiving back a welcoming smile from Sam and a kiss on the hand that was intertwined with hers.</p>
<p>When the car was parked in front of a small blue wooden house, they were greeted by an old man and probably his wife who was holding two mugs.</p>
<p>"Lena, my dear." The lady handed the mugs to her husband and walked over to the younger Luthor to give her a hug. "I thought you would never come to see us again."</p>
<p>Lena wrapped the woman in a tight hug. "I needed some time." Meanwhile, Sam had taken the opportunity to unpack the car and stopped beside Lena when she was finished. "Babe," The Luthor held Sam's free hand. “These are Mrs. and Mr. Lucas. They are responsible for making the house always impeccable.” Sam gave a small smile and dropped the bags to greet the couple. "This is my girlfriend, Samantha."</p>
<p>"Nice to meet you, dear." Mrs. Lucas shook Sam's outstretched hand and rested her other hand on top of both. "I made you hot chocolate." She took the mugs from her husband's hand and he bent down to pick up the bags next to Sam</p>
<p>"You don't have to worry, sir." Sam spoke. "I’ll carry." The bags were not heavy, but Sam thought it was best not to let the old man carry them.</p>
<p>"I insist." He spoke and took the bags inside the house.</p>
<p>"I will show you the house." The lady took both women by the arm and guided them into the house.</p>
<p>As entering, the woman explained each room in the small house. She commented that a renovation had been done recently, but that Lena had not returned to the place to see if everything had gone the way she asked and Lena said that she trusted her.</p>
<p>The house was small, all made of wood. It had a suite and a bedroom, plus a bathroom in the hallway between the two bedrooms. The living room was also small, with only a sofa and an armchair, in addition to the coffee table made by Mr. Lucas from the trunk of a tree that fell close to where the couple live, not far from there. A TV was exposed above a beautiful wood-burning fireplace, also with wooden details.</p>
<p>In the kitchen, the details were very tasteful. New stove and refrigerator, but in a retro style and small, so as not to occupy much of the space and a dining table for only four people. It also had French doors, in the kitchen, which opened onto a partially covered deck and, to Sam’s surprise, outside had a cement bench and, next to it, a wood-burning oven.</p>
<p>Now she understood why Lena said that making pizza together would be fun. They already did it at home, at least once a month, but in a wood-burning oven it would be a different experience.</p>
<p>At the back of the house, there was still a platform that overlooked a small lake. It couldn’t be seen when they arrived because of the countless trees around them.</p>
<p>“Wow, this place is beautiful.” Sam commented when they were already outside, referring to not only the outdoor area but the entire area.</p>
<p>“I put the bags in the bedroom.” Mr. Lucas spoke as he descended the steps on the deck. “I saw that there was a bag with groceries for the kitchen, you could have said it and we would have bought it right here, little one.” That’s what he called Lena since she was a kid. The couple had become close friends with her mother from the times she was there. Mrs. Lucas had said this while listing the renovations that were made to the property.</p>
<p>“I didn’t want to give you more work.” Lena spoke. “Besides, I wasn’t sure if they would have all the ingredients at the small village market.”</p>
<p>“Village?” Sam asked.</p>
<p>“There is a trail along the lake path that leads to a village, where we live.” Mr. Lucas spoke.</p>
<p>“You have no idea how the village has grown.” The woman said. “It is still a village, but there are many things that we never dreamed of seeing here. It even has a very cozy café that serves one of the best lunches in the place, you could visit and use those few hours before noon to rest from the long trip.”</p>
<p>“It’s a great idea. What do you think, babe? ” Lena asked looking at Sam.</p>
<p>“I would love to get some rest.”</p>
<p>“We are leaving then.” The older woman spoke. “See you tomorrow before you go back to your big city?” And gave a small smile.</p>
<p>“Yes.” Lena hugged the woman. “Thank you, Ana.” She turned to the man. “And John.”</p>
<p>“No need to thank, little one.” He hugged her. “I hope you liked the coffee table.”</p>
<p>“It’s beautiful.”</p>
<p>The four said goodbye once again and the couple followed the trail from the lake to the village, leaving the two younger women to admire the external landscape.</p>
<p>“This place is really beautiful.” Sam came up behind Lena, wrapping her arms around her waist and leaving a chaste kiss on her girlfriend’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re ready to share this with me.”</p>
<p>Lena turned to face Sam and put her arms around her neck. “This and so many other things.” They smiled at each other and moved closer until their lips touched in a soft kiss.</p>
<p>They stayed outside for some time, enjoying the scenery and each other’s company with only the sound of birds on the soundtrack. The weather was cloudy and it would probably rain and be very cold at night, that’s how Lena remembered. Then, together they decided to visit the village a little earlier and use the afternoon to sleep.</p>
<p>The village was really different from what Lena remembered from the few times she had been there. In addition to the café, there was the market and some shops selling local and organic products. There was also a very simple flower shop, but with very well-kept flowers and very bright colors, from which Lena bought a single flower and gave it to her girlfriend.</p>
<p>After walking around the village for a while, holding hands and receiving smiles and compliments from the residents, the couple stopped at the café to eat. They chose the only table outside and spent a long time there.</p>
<p>When they returned, Sam carefully examined all the rooms in the house and saw that in each corner there was a little piece of Lena, including, found in one of the dresser drawers a mini game in perfect condition, but, unfortunately, without a battery. In the living room, Lena waited for Sam as she went through some drawers on the shelves beside the fireplace. She took out something the looked like a suitcase and placed it on the side table that was next to the armchair, when opening, the suitcase turned into a record player, much like the one they had at home, but much older. Sam had seen that there were vinyl discs on the shelves of the bookshelf, but she thought they were just decorative items.</p>
<p>“Do you want to choose what we’re going to hear?” Lena asked.</p>
<p>“What do you have?” Sam approached the bookshelf and started to take it out one by one. There were some Queen records, Johnny Cash, even one by Tony Bennett with the name ‘Lionel Luthor’ marked in pen. After looking at all of them, Sam chose one and gave it to her girlfriend.</p>
<p>“This one.”</p>
<p>Lena took it and shook her head laughing. “Abba? Why am I not surprised? ”</p>
<p>“Because you know me too well.”</p>
<p>The Luthor put the record to play and Sam laid on the couch waiting for her to lie down together. Lena laid with part of her body on top of Sam, touched her nose to her neck and one arm around her waist. The older brunette sang softly while messing with her girlfriend’s hair, and so they fall asleep.</p>
<p>It was almost seven at night when Samantha woke up. The room was dark, lit only by the fire in the fireplace and a light coming from the kitchen. She rubbed a hand over her eyes and realized that Lena’s body weight was not on hers. She also noticed that the melody that was playing was no longer Abba's but a playlist that she was sure was one from Lena’s phone. Sam straightened up and, looking towards the kitchen, saw the woman she loved so much distracted by separating some ingredients at the dinner table. She got up and went towards the kitchen, leaned against the wall and was silent waiting for Lena to notice her presence, which didn’t take long.</p>
<p>“Hi, babe.” Lena smiled at Sam. “I thought you weren’t going to wake up anymore.”</p>
<p>“It was so comfortable.” She yawns.</p>
<p>“Why don’t you take a shower while I’m done here and then we can prepare the pizzas together?”</p>
<p>“It’s a good idea.” She gives Lena a kiss. “I’ll be right back.”</p>
<p>It was totally unnecessary for the two of them to have showered before they started making the pizzas, given that Lena practically threw half the flour in Sam’s face. She really was right when she said that making pizza together would be a lot of fun. Sam even thought about taking another shower when the pizzas were in the oven, but Lena helped her clean her face and some of the hair she had soiled.</p>
<p>It was late when they closed the kitchen door, the cold had already taken over the whole house, even with the fireplace burning. Sam made hot chocolate for them to watch a movie and complained about the lack of internet in the place because she wanted to call Ruby, until Lena said that probably there would also be no internet in the place where the youngest Arias went to camp.</p>
<p>The internet issue brought a few laughs from Sam when she remembered that without a signal it would be impossible for them to watch the movie too. That’s when Lena surprised her again and showed her a VHS player and a Casablanca tape, one of her favorite films, which were kept in one of the cabinets in the house.</p>
<p>In the opening minutes of the film, they had already finished with two mugs of hot chocolate each and were lying in the same position that they were in the afternoon.</p>
<p>Halfway through the film, neither of them was paying any more attention. Intoxicated with the feeling of being at home, lost in each other’s arms, with their lips finding each uncovered part of the other’s body.</p>
<p>The movie wasn’t even close to the end when the television was turned off and they followed blindly into the bedroom. Sam was sure that Lena’s intention was never to watch a movie when she saw the fireplace in the room already lit.</p>
<p>The clothes were thrown on the bedroom floor one at a time. They were in no hurry, they always liked to enjoy the moment as if it were the last when they were alone.</p>
<p>The room was on fire, literally by the flames of the fireplace that was the only source of light illuminating the place, and metaphorically by each kiss that seemed to burn every corner of their bodies. They spent all day listening to all kinds of melodies, but during the night the only sounds that could be heard were sighs, moans of pleasure and whispers of I love you.</p>
<p>
  <em>“It’s still making me scared that my love is so strong.” </em>
</p>
<p>Sam woke up chilled with the bedroom door open and the empty bed beside her. She even ran her hand over the sheets where Lena should have been sleeping peacefully to make sure she wasn’t there. The brunette got up and put on one of the coats on the armchair and left the bedroom. Arriving in the living room, she found the kitchen door opened and, from a distance, she could see that Lena was sitting on the edge of the platform that led to the lake. Sam turned on the stove to heat up the chocolate from the night before and went back to the bedroom to get two small blankets from the drawer.</p>
<p>With the drink was already hot, she put it in two mugs and went to the platform. There she sat next to Lena, put one of the blankets on herself and the other on Lena’s back and offered her a mug. So they stood, in silence, watching the fog that washed over the water’s surface on that cloudy Sunday morning.</p>
<p>After a long time of silence, almost with the drink at the end and the cold breeze passing through both bodies, Lena broke the silence.</p>
<p>“I dreamed of her…” The Luthor said while looking ahead, without focusing on a specific place. “It was actually more of a memory than a dream.”</p>
<p>Sam put a hand on her girlfriend’s thigh, who was sitting cross-legged. “Do you want to tell me how it went?”</p>
<p>“It didn’t last long. It was just before I woke up.” Lena started. “I must have been about three years old. We were here, just the two of us.” She stopped for a while and focused on the lake. “It was summer and I was running right back there. She wore a flowered dress and ran after me, until we reached the edge of the platform and she held my hand to jump together. Then I woke up… ”</p>
<p>Sam looked away from the lake and looked at Lena, waiting for her to continue.</p>
<p>“I never told you the story of her death. It has always been difficult for me to deal with.” The brunette put her hand over Sam’s. “We were walking by the lake in Ireland, right next to our home. I was four years old. I don’t know where we were coming from, but I wore a headband and it ended up falling into the lake because of a strong wind. ” Sam saw when Lena’s eyes started to fill with tears. “She bent down to pick it up and went out of balance. We had no idea how deep the place was. She sank and came back three times, on the fourth she never came back. ” A tear flowed. “I could have saved her, Sam.”</p>
<p>“Babe…” Sam turned on her side to face Lena and used both hands to hold her hand. “You were only four years old.”</p>
<p>“I know, but…” She looked at Sam and she had such a lost look, like a child who had lost their parents in the supermarket or woke up from a nightmare. “I miss her so much.”</p>
<p>“Oh, Lena!” Sam pulled her girlfriend into her arms and squeezed her tight enough that she knew she wasn’t alone.</p>
<p>“I wish you had met her.” Lena snuggled her head in the curve of Sam’s neck. “She would love you.”</p>
<p>“I’m sure I would too.”</p>
<p>Lena placed the mug she still held on the floor and turned back to the lake, leaning her head on Sam’s shoulder and holding one of her hands.</p>
<p>“I never thought I was going to be completely happy.” The CEO broke the silence once again. “Between my mother’s death, the Luthors, Andrea’s betrayal, leaving you once, Jack’s death and Kara’s lies…” She linked her fingers with Sam’s. “But, now… With you again… I love you so much, Sam.”</p>
<p>The CFO left a kiss on her girlfriend’s hair. “I love you, too, babe.”</p>
<p>“I’m so afraid of losing you.” It was Lena’s turn to face Sam and place a hand on her face. “Sometimes I think that we are going so slowly that there will be no time to do anything and then at the same time I think that we will not be able to enjoy every moment. I imagine our future in so many different ways and I am also so afraid of not having you there with me. ”</p>
<p>“Why wouldn’t I be with you?” She kisses Lena’s palm on her face.</p>
<p>“I’m afraid of that answer.”</p>
<p>“You don’t have to be afraid of anything, my love.” Sam put her hand over Lena’s. “Not when we can plan to move here when we retire and Ruby says she is an adult and no longer needs us.”</p>
<p>Lena smiled. “You really liked it here, didn’t you?”</p>
<p>“The place doesn’t really matter that much… What really matters is having you with me.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“Losing you it’s a nightmare, babe, and to me it’s (not) new.” </em>
</p>
<p>The trip was an escape from the reality they really needed. On Monday all craziness started again with Lena leaving the house before Sam even woke up, to prepare the laboratory for an intense week of work already starting with the tests of the new project.</p>
<p>In the beginning of that week, Sam had some meetings outside the company, which left them unseen for the entire day, and when the CFO came home at night, Lena had not yet arrived. What was left for her and Ruby was to wait. The CEO didn’t come home for dinner and Ruby didn’t mind telling her mother about the camp, even though she knew she was going to have to tell Lena everything when she arrived. It looks like she had a lot of fun.</p>
<p>More hours passed and Lena didn’t come home. Sam never wanted to be that person who keeps calling to find out where her girlfriend was, especially since she knows that when she gets involved in a project there has to be a very important reason to get her out of there and being late for dinner was not one of them. That was how Samantha met Lena. When she worked with Lex on the Luthor Corp acquisitions it was like that, when she renamed the company to L-Corp and fought to get her out of Lex’s shadow it was like that, when Lena did her best and the impossible to save Sam from Reign was like that... Now it would be no different. But, the lack of news was consuming her, after all that Lena went through because of the Luthors the concern spoke louder, so she decided to call.</p>
<p>It took three unsuccessful attempts and five more rings from the fourth attempt for Lena to answer her phone. Sam could hear the sound of several voices talking over each other until Lena left the place and only the silence echoed in the background. She said she was still in the lab and that things were starting to work out, so it would still be a while before she got home. The CEO suggested for her girlfriend not wait up and asked her not to worry. She knew Sam very well.</p>
<p>Sam didn’t see when Lena got home and they couldn’t talk about it either the next day. When Sam woke up, Lena was already taking a shower, and while the CFO was making breakfast, she ran out and said she was already late. The only real contact they had was a good morning kiss.</p>
<p>At night it happened like the previous day, Lena didn’t go to dinner and when she got home all the inhabitants of the place were already sleeping.</p>
<p>The next day… The same thing. The only difference is that Lena called shortly before midnight to say that she was going to sleep in the old apartment she lived in before moving in with Sam and Ruby. The justification is that the apartment was closer to L-Corp and so she would rest better for another intense day in the laboratory the next day.</p>
<p>On Thursday it happened again. Sam could barely remember when it was the last time she and Lena had spent more than five minutes in the same room since they arrived from the trip. She started to think that her girlfriend was avoiding her, but she couldn’t think of a reason for such an attitude.</p>
<p>Samantha went to sleep with the thought and couldn’t get a good night’s rest, both because she didn’t know what was really happening and because she didn’t have Lena’s body heat next to hers, her girlfriend’s calm breath on her neck while she slept quietly and the way she ran her fingers over her belly while sleeping before reaching for her hand and interlacing their fingers. It had only been two days since Lena had slept at home, but she missed from the first minute she left.</p>
<p>On Friday, Sam woke up determined to talk to her girlfriend and put an end to the paranoid that took over her thoughts during the night or try to understand what made Lena distance herself during the week, as it couldn’t be just about work. But, to Sam’s unhappiness, Lena once again did not come home after the end of the work day. The brunette also called, but this time there was no answer.</p>
<p>Samantha almost called the office, but was interrupted by Ruby, who appeared in the room with a backpack on her back saying that Emily’s parents, a friend from school, had arrived. Her daughter had asked to sleep outside that day to finish a school project, promising to return home after the soccer practice on Saturday. Ruby left, but not before looking around and asking for Lena again, just as she had done every day that week.</p>
<p>Ruby’s expression when Sam replied that Lena hadn’t come home yet, even though the girl knowing that the CEO always made sure to leave the office on time on the last day of the week, gave her that last spark she needed to call the office.</p>
<p>She called. Once. Twice. Three times. There was no answer in any of them.</p>
<p>So, she called Lena’s secretary, who answered in three rings and explained that all the interns and engineers had left the lab on time and that when she left the company, Lena was still there.</p>
<p>The anguish only passed when Sam received a message from Lena saying once again that she was going to sleep in the apartment, but it became more worry and confusion in her head. She then took her purse, the car and apartment keys, which she had a copy of, and went out to put an end to that situation.</p>
<p>
  <em>“Never before did you see me begging for more.” </em>
</p>
<p>Lena didn’t even bother to turn on the apartment lights when she arrived, she just threw the keys on the sideboard at the entrance, the purse on the couch and went to the kitchen to help herself with a glass of water. As she placed the glass in the sink, she felt a cold wind blowing through her body and turned to find the balcony door ajar, even with the curtains closed and a person sitting on the other couch in the dark. At first she was alarmed thinking about who it might be, but saw that it was a silhouette well known to her.</p>
<p>“Sam?” She called and approached the couch. “What are you doing here?”</p>
<p>“I could ask the same question.” Sam replied and never made a move to get up from where she was sitting.</p>
<p>“I told you that …”</p>
<p>“You were going to sleep here because it is closer to L-Corp.” Sam made sure to finish the sentence Lena was going to speak and then stood up. “The point is, you don’t work tomorrow, Lena. You have all the time in the world to rest at your home, in your bed, without having to worry about waking up early and going all the way to the office, or the laboratory, because tomorrow is Saturday.” She was walking towards Lena, who was leaning against the kitchen island, but stopped by the other couch.</p>
<p>The CEO said nothing, just continued where she was with her head down, unable to look at her girlfriend.</p>
<p>“What’s going on, Lena?” She didn’t come any closer. “We barely saw each other after we got back from the trip. You started not sleeping at home and each day has been more distant. ” Sam pushed herself off the couch and was going to approach Lena, but gave up when she saw her take a small step back. “We never hide anything from each other, I don’t understand why you are doing this now. Please babe, talk to me. ”</p>
<p>She remained distant, leaving that space for Lena to feel comfortable and talk, but she remained silent.</p>
<p>“Okay.” Sam went back to the coffee table to get her purse and the keys she had left on top. “I can’t force you to talk to me if you don’t want to. Take your time, I just hope that when you decide to speak it is not too late. ”</p>
<p>The brunette looked at her girlfriend again and headed for the door. When he touched the doorknob he heard Lena’s voice.</p>
<p>“Sam…” The voice was low, almost inaudible if it weren’t for the total silence of the room. “Please don’t go.”</p>
<p>Samantha turned her back to the door and saw that Lena had raised her head. The little light that came in through the open balcony door pushing the curtain in, showed Sam that Lena’s cheeks were wet with tears that insisted on falling.</p>
<p>“I am scared.” Lena spoke with her voice being cut off by the cry that was stuck in her throat. Sam asked nothing and waited for her to continue. “Of ending up ruining everything.”</p>
<p>Sam approached the kitchen island and asked Lena to sit on one of the chairs so they could talk comfortably. The older brunette did the same and used both hands to hold Lena’s on the counter.</p>
<p>“The night we came back from a trip I had a bad dream, but it seemed real enough to make me terrified.” Lena started to tell. “We fought for some reason that I couldn’t identify and, as hard as I tried, I couldn’t save our relationship. The moment you left, after I begged you to stay, something that has never happened to me before, I saw that what I feel for you is so strong and that maybe, after you, I would never be able to love like that again.”</p>
<p>“Lena…” Sam said, but the Luthor asked her to wait.</p>
<p>“When I woke up, at dawn, and saw you sleeping peacefully beside me, I couldn’t stop thinking about the look of disappointment you gave me when you left in the dream.” More tears streamed down Lena’s face, however much she tried to stop them. “Every time I tried to close my eyes that night and sleep again, that was the only look that remained in my mind. I was never so afraid of losing things in my life and that fear made me want to stick to work and not leave until I knew how to face it. But even at work I could only think of all the ways that I could screw it up. ”</p>
<p>Sam did not imagine that Lena was going through this and she also had no way of knowing. They had a perfect weekend in each other’s company, returned to National City even more in love than the day they left.</p>
<p>“Today, even with you here, I still didn’t feel ready to face that fear, but…” Lena lowered her head and looked at Sam’s fingers intertwined with hers. “When you turned your back on leaving… the look you gave me...” She took a deep breath. “It was the same look of disappointment you had in the dream.”</p>
<p>Samantha got up and turned Lena’s chair to the side, so that they were closer.</p>
<p>“It made me realize that the only thing I’m not prepared for is to see you go.”</p>
<p>“Lena, babe…” Sam put her hand on Lena’s chin and made her look her in the eye. “I don’t intend to leave your life. Never. Besides, I’ve seen you go once, I don’t want to go through that again.” She patted her girlfriend’s face. “You need to talk to me when you feel this way.” Sam brought her other hand up to Lena’s face. “And I will show you every day that you deserve to live this, that we deserve to be together and nothing, or anyone, is going to keep us apart again.”</p>
<p>The younger Luthor couldn’t take that distance anymore and threw herself into Sam’s arms. She missed her girlfriend’s body next to hers for the entire week, but the fear spoke louder.</p>
<p>“I love you so much, Sam.” Lena squeezed Sam as hard as she could. It didn’t suffocate, it bothered her a little, but she never wanted to leave that hug again.</p>
<p>“Come here.” Sam pulled Lena, making her stand and led her towards the couch, taking the purse that was on the counter on the way. “I want to show you something.”</p>
<p>The two sat and Sam opened the purse to look for something inside. When she finally found it, it was a blue box.</p>
<p>“Sam…” Lena already imagined what would come next.</p>
<p>“It’s not exactly what you’re thinking.” She brought a small smile to her face. “I stopped in front of a store once and saw…” She opened the box and showed Lena a pair of gold rings, the two were exactly the same aesthetically, but the stones of each one were of different colors. “Before that, I had thought of several ways to ask you to marry me, but when I found these rings, I realized that I wanted to do it differently.”</p>
<p>Lena looked at her without understanding. She had also been thinking about how to propose to Sam, but she had never taken the first step of buying the ring because she thought it was too early for Sam.</p>
<p>“Let me explain.” Sam placed the box on the coffee table, settled herself more comfortably on the couch and held Lena’s hands. “Ruby told me once that we are a couple with all kinds of clichés involved. The example she gave was that we decided to live together on the same day that we went back to dating and bought a house the next day. ” Lena laughed at the explanation. She had also heard Ruby talk about it once. “She is not wrong. So I decided to do it in the least cliché way that I found it, if you allow me, of course. ”</p>
<p>Sam took one of the rings from the box, which had green stones, Lena’s favorite color and held one of her hands, but didn’t made a move to put the ring on Lena’s finger, giving space if she wasn’t ready.</p>
<p>Luthor just waited for her to continue.</p>
<p>“That day you caught us talking at the pizzeria and Ruby said it was Alex and Maggie’s business, that’s what we were talking about. She said she found the rings in my sweatshirt drawer and even said that I had chosen the worst place to hide from you.” Sam was still holding the ring between her fingers.</p>
<p>“Is that why you spent a week choosing what I was going to use for sleep? Leaving on the bed? ”</p>
<p>“Guilty. But going back…” The CFO spoke smiling. “I don’t think we need a huge party with all those traditional things, bridesmaids and bachelorette parties… We can get married anywhere, anytime, even now with me putting this ring on your finger. Without a signed and notarized paper, whether we feel married is what matters.” Sam slowly put the ring on Lena’s finger. “I already feel like your wife every day.”</p>
<p>Sam finished putting on the ring and Lena put her hand up to her face to examine more carefully the new accessory she had on her finger.</p>
<p>“What do you think?” Sam asked.</p>
<p>Lena didn’t say anything, just took the other ring, with purple stones and put it on her girlfriend’s finger.</p>
<p>“I think this is the least cliché thing that could happen and still look like a cliché.”</p>
<p>“So… Shall we build our happiness together?” Sam asked.</p>
<p>“And with Ruby.” Lena replied and Sam repeated exactly what she said.</p>
<p>Lena raised a hand to Sam’s face and for a moment she was torn between looking into the eyes of that woman she loved so much and admiring the ring that now occupied her finger, but the doubt quickly ceased because what she wanted most was to end with the longing for Sam’s lips on hers. As she approached Sam, she even whispered a brief ‘I love you’ and got one back before the two of them sealed their lips together.</p>
<p>The kiss started slowly, but as soon as it took shape, that they recognized that they were really there, connected in that way, the kiss became warmer. Lena quickly wrapped her arms around Sam’s neck, bringing her body closer. Sam’s hands roamed Lena’s body fiercely. If it were possible, that kiss would set them on fire right there. The longing of a week apart and the flood of emotions in the last few hours contributed to this. But, to their unhappiness, the air became necessary and they needed to disconnect.</p>
<p>“There is only one problem with your proposal.” Lena spoke still hugging Sam and brought her lips to her ear. “I want to have Arias in my name.”</p>
<p>Sam smiled. “We have two problems then, because Ruby told me she would love to be a Luthor.”</p>
<p>“Ruby?” Lena pulled away and looked at Sam with a raised eyebrow.</p>
<p>“And me too.”</p>
<p>“Hm.” The CEO looked up thoughtfully and managed to sit on her girlfriend’s lap. “Luthor-Arias, then?”</p>
<p>“Luthor-Arias is perfect.”</p>
<p>
  <em>“Oh, I’m riding higher than the sky and there is fire in every kiss!” </em>
</p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If you like there's more to come...</p></blockquote></div></div>
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